1st Quarter Assessment

Four months down, eight more to go! The first quarter of 2016 is over and I am here to honestly assess my progress thus far. After all, I am my own business. As you may or may not remember, I wrote a blog entry back in January detailing my focus for 2016. I wrote:

Cristela Alonzo, Tyler Perry, Mindy Kaling, Lena Dunham, Jorge Ortiz: Self-generating artists who have carved a name and empire for themselves in Hollywood and in the world.

The above statement is a postulate. And a postulate is defined as:

A proposition that requires no proof, being self evident, or that is for a specific purpose assumed true, and that is used in the proof of other propositions; a self
evident conclusion, decision or resolution; a self generated truth, a prediction.

So let’s assess. Let’s see how I am Chasing The George and really moving forward with my postulate:

Met Cristela Alonzo twice…and we took two different selfies together.

Met a Latino TV showrunner for coffee and pitched myself to work for him.

Had a wonderful, hour-long conversation with a TV writer and received advice from him.

Finished writing the pilot script for my new TV series, “Anthony”.

Finished writing the third draft of my feature film script (where James Franco plays the villain) I have a title for the film, but I will keep it under wraps for just a little while longer.

Submitted the pilot episode of “Chris/Tina” to the Cannes Film Festival.

Submitted my “Chris/Tina” pilot script to the Back In The Box, Slamdance and ScreenCraft writing competitions.

Submitted my “Anthony” pilot script to the Back In The Box and Slamdance writing competitions.

Prepared and executed various postcard mailings, phone calls and email mailings
to literary agents from CAA to UTA to Paradigm to Innovative to Heroes & Villains to Rothman Brecher, etc.

Manifested three direct connections to James Franco.

Promoted my work as an actor and writer on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram on a weekly basis.

Started pre-production on a short film with a handful of my friends that we will use to showcase our talents as actors and writers. We are shooting on June 5th and 6th. We are shooting on the Black Magic Camera. My role in this film is actor, co-writer and executive producer. Creating the evidence. Creating the evidence. Creating the evidence. And then promoting the hell out of it.

Launched my own personal website so that everything is centralized in one location.

Put up work in Scene Study and the Professional Development Program 2.0 classes and threw down to stay sharp as an actor.

1st Quarter Assessment: Pretty good! Grade: B

I gave myself a B because I flinched on an impulse in one instance and I accepted “no” too easily in another situation. Not following my impulses has cost me in the past and will continue to cost me in the future if I don’t honor them.

Accepting “no” too easily is also not acceptable. I have to use more charm, humor and irony to exhaust possibilities.

2nd Quarter Assessment and Goals:

Get laser-like with my James Franco project and move it further towards completion. I’ve created a timeline to accomplish this using Ken Kragen’s concept of backwards thinking with forward motion (Ken was a top manager to many of the biggest stars in the world)

Shoot short film with my friends and promote the hell out of it.

Cut trailer of my written works.

Shoot new headshots.

Be more assertive. No is not an option. Flinch is not in my vocabulary. The word “no” does not come into contact or agreement with my postulate. I must maintain dogged, unwavering belief in my postulate.